ITV

Tag: News

  • 786 licensed Indian channels as on 31 January

    786 licensed Indian channels as on 31 January

    MUMBAI: The MIB has released the list of permitted private satellite TV channels in India as on 31 January, 2014.

    According to a report published by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry (I&B Ministry), as of 31 January, 2014, the number of permitted private satellite TV channels in the country stands at 786; out of which 389 are news and current affairs channels, while the remaining 397 are non-news and current affairs ones.

    An earlier report published by the I&B Ministry pegged the number of permitted private satellite TV channels in India as on 2 December, 2013 at 784, with 395 of these being non-news and current affairs channels, implying two non-news and current affairs channels have been added to the list between 2 December, 2013 and 31 January, 2014.

    Out of the 786 channels, 664 TV channels have been permitted for uplink as well as downlink from India. 31 TV channels permitted for uplink but not downlink in India and 91 channels have been permitted only to downlink into India (uplinked from aboard).

     

    Of the 786 permitted private satellite TV channels in the country, 369 news channels and 295 non-news channels have both up-linking and down-linking permission, four news and 27 non-news channels have permission only to uplink, while 16 news and 75 non-news channels have permission just to down-link

    Sometime ago, indiantelevision.com had reported how the I&B Ministry – already under the scanner for being too liberal in issuing licenses to broadcasters – was exercising restraint in a damage control exercise of sorts.

    It doesn’t come as a surprise that the Ministry official list released on 20 December, 2012 had 848 permitted private satellite TV channels which has gone down to 786 in the latest list.

  • Zee 24 Taas repositions itself as youth centric

    Zee 24 Taas repositions itself as youth centric

    MUMBAI: It is not just politicians who are looking to grab the attention of India’s large young population. News channels too are reorienting their programming to enhance receptivity among the younger lot.

     

    A few months ago, Zee Media Corporation’s (ZMCL) national Hindi news channel Zee News introduced its campaign ‘Ab Khabar Aapke Rangon Mein’ targeting the Gen Y of the country. Now, it’s the turn of Zee Media’s Marathi news channel Zee 24 Taas.

     

    Starting today, the channel is on air with a complete makeover to its look, feel and positioning as well. With an improved tagline ‘Raha ek paul pudhe’ (stay one step ahead), Zee 24 Taas is repositioning itself to suit an audience of 15 to 45 years as compared to its earlier target group of 25 to 45 years.

     

    Nearly half of India’s population is in the age group of 15 to 45 years. ZMCL CEO Alok Agrawal says, “With the advent of digitations, researches have shown that viewers are setting up new priorities; therefore it has become imperative to refurbish the brand. Backed by Zee Media Corporation Limited’s core philosophy to innovate in order to stay ahead, the new look of Zee 24 Taas is a step in the right direction. We are confident that the new identity will be applauded by the viewer which is rich in content and vibrant in look.” 

     

    “The positioning is ‘action oriented’ because that is what the youth is interested in today. Rather than focusing on long news and discussions, we are keeping it short with more visuals. The youth wants to know how the news will benefit them in their lives,” says Zee 24 Taas business head Bhushan Khot.

     

    Over the weekend, a series of programs under the tagline will be introduced to help youngsters know about how to move up in life. An election show began last week called Whats Up India to understand the younger generation’s perspective. Major colleges in Maharashtra are being visited for the show.

     

    There is increased competition among news channels. News consumption in Maharashtra also happens in English and Hindi. “Today our competition is not just restricted to Marathi language (news channels) but the overall news genre. Our aim is to make the entire channel strong onscreen as well as digital and at the same time reflect the aspirations of the young Marathi audience,” says Khot.

     

    Additionally, viewers can also catch Zee 24 Taas live on their mobile phones via Android, iOS and Blackberry apps through Ditto TV. Zee 24 Taas will later become a subscription services, after initial free preview for a month.

     

    Zee 24 Taas has refurbished its studio and a stylist has been hired to give new looks to its anchors in addition to requisite training. The online and offline graphics have also been modified by an inhouse team. Zee 24 Taas editor-in-chief Uday Nirgudkar says, “We are re-launching the channel to fine tune our self to reflect on the changing needs of viewers. We have always been viewer focused & viewer centric hence our new offering will be more qualitative and focused.”

     

    “We are trying to tell the audience that the language is Marathi but its look and feel is at par with any other channel,” adds Khot. The language the anchors use will also undergo a slight change with shorter sentences being the goal.

     

    The marketing campaign to promote the new look will break across the state on 6 February, with print and outdoor and followed up on radio and TV next week.

     

    Print ads will be visible in the newspapers DNA , Loksatta, Mumbai Times, Lokmat, Sakaal and others. On the digital front, banners and text ads will be seen on Google display network sites and Facebook.

     

    The promotional jingle for TV and radio has been composed by noted Marathi singer and writer Saleel Kulkarni. The 20-day long campaign created by Draftfcb Ulka will see about 150 outdoor spots being adorned, with most of them being bus shelters, bus panels and hoardings in Mumbai, Pune and Nashik. The radio jingle will run across Radio City 91.1 FM, Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM, Red FM 93.5 and Big 92.7 FM.

     

    Sources say the cost of the entire rebranding exercise would be approximately Rs 15 million with nearly 80 per cent of it being spent on marketing itself.

     

    For the third quarter ended 31 December 2013, the channel had a viewership of 21.3 million (Source: TAM, CS 4+, All India, Q3 Average Monthly Reach).

  • Why the NBA joined the respondents battling Kantar in the courts

    Why the NBA joined the respondents battling Kantar in the courts

    MUMBAI: When Kantar Market Research Services, a shareholder of TAM media research, decided to go to court to legally oppose one of the guidelines that had been recently approved by the cabinet committee on economic affairs, it raised some eyebrows though the move was not unexpected. And even though Kantar was not given a stay  on the legality of the cross holding  legislation that it has been seeking, what came as a surprise on day two of the hearing was when the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) was made a party to the case.

     

    What made the biggest news broadcasting representative body in the country decide to intervene in the case and be subsequently made a part of it? Contrary to what many may believe, the NBA is not against Kantar but rather it is in favour of the guidelines. “We went as interveners to show our support to the approved guidelines and the court decided that we should be a part of it,” says a senior official from the NBA.

     

    The news organisation has always been vocal on the alleged  irregularities and kinks in TAM’s rating system. “We had decided a while ago that we would make a mention of our support in court. Change in the way the ratings are delivered has been pending for several years and finally the moment of truth has arrived  and so we don’t need it to be stalled again,” informed the official.

     

    In mid-2013, several news channels members of the NBA had decided to boycott TAM claiming that its TV ratings data was rigged. Voices in support of the upcoming agency the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) grew overwhelmingly. The NBA now feels that there could be no better time than now for the guidelines to come into effect.

     

    The case which is ongoing in the Delhi High Court is now being fought by the petitioner Kantar  against the government of India, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the NBA. In media interviews Kantar has stated that it won’t go down so easily and that the cross holding guideline it has challenged will make its life and existence a misery.

     

    In the hearing on 29 January, the HC decided not to give a stay order to Kantar since the regulation was promulgated  by a statutory body – the TRAI. On the same day, the NBA pointed out that TAM operates on a small sample size of just 8,000 people. The case will next be heard on 11 February.

     

    All the three respondents have a week’s time to file their respective affidavits to the court.

     

    In October last year when the ad cap case was ongoing in the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), three broadcasters namely Star, Zee and Viacom18 had tried to become  interveners in support of the 12 minute ad cap regulation but they had been barred from doing so since their representative body – the Indian Broadcasting Foundation – had decided to withdraw the appeal against the ad cap. However, the NBA claims it has consistently been vocal about its views on TV viewership ratings, hence its candidature as an intervener has validity.

     

    The key questions now are whether the HC will offer a lifeline to TAM  by imposing a stay on implementation of the cross holding guideline or whether will it cut off its oxygen supply?

  • Star India partners with Times Internet to distribute IPL on digital in India

    Star India partners with Times Internet to distribute IPL on digital in India

    MUMBAI: Star India has licensed the digital distribution rights for IPL 2014 from Times Internet, the digital arm of the Times of India Group. Star India will offer streaming and video on demand on starsports.com, the Star Sports app, and on mobile operator services powered by Star Sports. Times Internet will distribute IPL streaming and video on demand on its cricket destination on web and mobile, powered by a starsports.com video player. Both companies will market the joint proposition, and Star India will be solely responsible for monetisation, including advertising sales.

     

    Last year, IPL online witnessed a 56 per cent growth in unique visitors, with over 200 million video views. This year, India’s largest media houses will co-distribute IPL, offering unparalleled reach and viewership.

     
    The move deepens Star’s commitment to dramatically shape the sports experience on digital. Launched in June 2013, starsports.com has become the go-to destination for following the best of international sports. It has redefined the sports experience through a revolutionary video timeline that is a first of its kind in the world of sports, and allows the viewer to keep track of live sports as well as catch up on games with ease. The company has also built an advanced technology infrastructure that enables HD quality streaming across multiple devices.

     
    “At a time when more and more fans are following sports across multiple screens, our aim is to deliver an experience for them that is even better than what is on television. This partnership signals our continuing efforts to transform sports and the digital experience, ”said Mr. Sanjay Gupta, Chief Operating Officer of Star India. “We want to make IPL the world’s largest sporting event on a digital platform this year.”

     
    Satyan Gajwani, Chief Executive Officer of Times Internet, said, “We have been offering our users IPL for three years, and it continues to be a major driver in consumption and brand, recognized as one of the largest online video events worldwide with rapid growth. Our partnership with Star will enable an even larger reach for the property across digital devices.”

     
    starsports.com is India’s first multi-sports digital service with availability across the web and mobile. Powered by live and video rights, it covers the best of world sports including major cricket tournaments, BPL, La Liga and Serie A in football, F1, hockey and tennis.

     
    Times Internet is the largest Indian online media entity, with over 40 million monthly visitors across its numerous digital destinations. Its portfolio includes news, lifestyle content, entertainment, ecommerce, mobile VAS, music & movie streaming, and local services.

     

  • Network18 Q2 FY-14 EBITDA is back to black

    Network18 Q2 FY-14 EBITDA is back to black

    BENGALURU: Investors in TV18 Broadcast Limited (TV18) have a reason to smile and cheer, though the stock market has not reacted positively to the Q2-2013 results post the financial announcement. The stock’s price had taken a shallow dive (down by about 1.75 per cent) at the time of writing this report.

     

    Though the company has been showing improved performance over the past few quarters, it has returned a profit of Rs 10.1 crore for the current quarter Q2-2014. “While the general news and niche genres witnessed continued softness, our advertising revenues from entertainment led by Colors grew strongly,” says the company.

     

     TV18 Broadcast, a subsidiary of Network 18 that operates news channels, also operates a joint venture with Viacom, called Viacom18, which houses a portfolio of popular entertainment channels – Colors and Colors HD amongst others.

     

     Let us look at some of the Q2-2014 figures reported by TV18

     

    A consolidated summary shows that TV18’s revenue at Rs 483.2 crore for Q2-2014 has grown by almost a third (32.3 per cent) as compared to the Rs 365.1 crore for Q2-2013 and by 22 per cent as compared to the Rs 396.2 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Revenue from news and infotaiment at Rs 119.7 crore in Q2-2014 has shrunk by 1.2 per cent as compared to the Rs 121.1 crore in Q2-2013 and is almost flat (grown by 0.6 per cent) as compared to the Rs 119 crore for Q1-2014. Though y-o-y operating profit for Q2-2014 from news and infotainment at Rs 8.4 crore is more than double (2.1 times more) than the Rs 4 crore for Q2-2013, it is almost half (57 per cent) of the Rs 14.7 crore the segment had returned for Q1-2014 (q-o-q).

     

     It is general news that has bled news and infotaiment profit that has accrued through business news.  General news with revenue of Rs 49 crore in Q2-2014 has taken a 19 per cent fall as compared to the Rs 60.3 crore in Q2-2013 and a 11.2 per cent drop to Rs 55.2 crore in Q1-2014. Operating loss from general news at Rs (-8.2) crore more than doubled (operating loss increased by 248 per cent) the Rs (-3.3 crore) reported for Q2-2013 and was almost six times the Rs (-1.4) crore operating loss for Q1-2014. Maybe the group needs to consider a massive revamp of its general news programming and presenters’ offerings?

     

    Business news with revenue of Rs 65.2 crore saw a more than healthy growth of 26 per cent as compared to the Rs 51.9 crore in Q2-2013 and 14 per cent growth as compared to the Rs 57.3 crore for Q1-2014. Business news returned an operating profit of Rs 18.3 crore, 8.3 per cent higher than the Rs 16.9 crore for Q2-2013 and 4.6 per cent higher than the Rs 17.5 crore in Q1-2014.

     

    Revenue from entertainment – television (Colors and other channels) in Q2-2014 at Rs 174.5 crore has gone up by a whopping 36 per cent as compared to the Rs 128.5 crore for Q2-2013 and is more by 15 per cent when compared to the Rs 151.8 crore for Q1-2014. TV18’s operating profit from entertainment – television segment at Rs 24.7 crore is 80 per cent more than Rs 13.7 crore for Q2-2013 and 62.5 per cent more than the Rs 15.2 crore in Q1-2014.

     

     TV18’s entertainment-Motion Pictures segment revenue of Rs 62 crore for Q2-2014 was about 2.8 times more than the Rs 22.1 crore for Q2-2013 and 2.3 times more than the Rs 18.8 crore for Q1-2014. This segment also has returned an operating profit of Rs 3.7 crore in Q2-2014 as compared to losses of Rs (-7.4) crore and Rs (-8.4) crore in Q2-2013 and Q1-2014 respectively.

     

    Though revenue from IndiaCast has almost doubled to Rs 182.5 crore as compared to the Rs 95 crore in Q2-2013, operating profit of Rs 1 crore from this stream is almost a fourth of the Rs 3.9 crore for Q2-2013 and less than half the Rs 2.3 crore for Q1-2014.

     

     Inter-segmental eliminations have wiped off a massive Rs 55.1 crore from TV18’s consolidated revenue, but have had a net gain of Rs 1.8 crore to the overall results.

     

     Note: IndiaCast is a 50:50 joint venture between TV18 and Viacom18 and has been consolidated as such. IndiaCast commenced operations on 1 July 2012 and as such, is consolidated only from Q2 FY13. For the previous year it was consolidated as a 100 per cent subsidiary. TV18 moved to the net distribution income methodology of accounting for carriage and subscription from Q2-2013. Q1-2013 results had been regrouped to ensure comparability. For Q1-2013, gross subscription and carriage numbers are included in the audited results of FY2013. From the current year (FY-2014); TV18 says that it has stopped reporting new operations separately given their vintage and that segmental numbers are based on management accounts and are not audited.

     

    Viacom 18 numbers

     

    Q2-2014 revenue for Viacom 18 stood at Rs 546.7 crore, a growth of 34 per cent over the previous quarter. Operating profits grew strongly to Rs 57.5 crore as against Rs 12.6 crore in Q2-2013.

     

    Television broadcasting revenue for the current quarter (Q2-2014) was Rs 349.1 crore as against Rs 257 crore in the previous year. Operating profit from TV18’s television business stood at Rs 49.4 crore and grew by 80 per cent over previous year. The growth was driven by both strong advertising and distribution revenues, says the company.

     

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures released five movies during the quarter under review (Q2-2014). The slate had three Hindi titles Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Luv U Soniyo and Madras Café and two Marathi titles – 72 miles and Kumari Gangubai Non Matric. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Madras Café were critically acclaimed and runaway hits. Operating profits from the business stood at Rs 7.5 crore for the quarter (Q2-2014).

     

    Network18 managing director Raghav Bahl says, “Even though the macroeconomic environment continued to be uncertain, the media and entertainment industry is well poised to deliver robust growth. At TV18, we are confident of maintaining our growth trajectory to create value for our stakeholders. During the current quarter our broadcasting operations turned in strong operating profits. We are particularly heartened by the doubling of operating profits in the first half of the current financial year as compared to previous year.”

     

     Group CEO B. Saikumar said, “During the current quarter, we turned in robust operating profits for both our broadcasting and motion pictures businesses. We embarked on an operational restructuring programme to realise synergies across the news network which will be instrumental in creating sustained value. Our entertainment business turned in an excellent quarter and IndiaCast continued on its growth trajectory. The advertising environment continues to be lackadaisical especially for news and other niche genres but we remain confident of delivering a strong year ahead.”

  • CNN-IBN shines at the 13th Indian television academy awards

    CNN-IBN shines at the 13th Indian television academy awards

    NEW DELHI: India’s Most Awarded News Channel, has once again proved its mettle by winning three awards at the prestigious 13th Indian Television Academy Awards. CNN-IBN was adjudged the Best English News Channel of 2013 – for the seventh time in the last eight years and four times in a row. Sagarika Ghose, was conferred the Best Anchor – Talk/Chat Show for Face the People. The other award was bagged by the channel’s flagship show INDIA at 9 in the category Best News/ Current Affairs Show.

    The Indian Television Academy Awards is an annual event organised by the Indian Television Academy. The awards are presented in various categories, including popular programming (music, news, entertainment, sports, travel, lifestyle and fashion), best television channel in various categories, technical awards and best performance awards.

    Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN, IBN7 & IBN Lokmat, said, “It is with great pride that we accept the award for the Best English News Channel for the seventh time in the last eight years. This is indeed a tribute to the relentless spirit of the wonderful team at CNN-IBN which works very hard day after day, 365 days.”

  • Star GOLD Blockbuster Diwali Bonus gives you a chance to become a Lakhpati this Diwali!

    Star GOLD Blockbuster Diwali Bonus gives you a chance to become a Lakhpati this Diwali!

    Celebrate the grandness of Diwali with Star Gold this year with ‘Blockbuster Diwali Bonus’ contest. Starting 14th October to 8th November 2013 at 9pm, Star Gold will give you the opportunity to win Rs One Lakh every day with just one single SMS.

     

    With the ‘festival of lights’ round the corner, Star Gold has lined up a series of blockbuster movies for four weeks that guarantees to be a daily dose of wholesome entertainment for your family. From comedy to romance to thriller to action, Star Gold promises to be the one stop destination for a fun family entertainment week during Diwali.

     

    Viewers can send in their answers to a simple question asked during the movie to qualify to win a prize money of Rs One Lakh every day.

     

    Announcing the launch of the contest, Hemal Jhaveri, Executive Vice President, Star Gold said, “Following the success of our annual property Twenty20 contest, it gives us immense pleasure to introduce another property to engage with our audiences this year. This festive season we are committed to entertaining and rewarding our audiences with the Blockbuster Diwali Bonus, where viewers can win Rs One Lakh just with one sms. We hope to make the festive celebrations grander, happier and brighter for our audiences.”

     

    The contest is being promoted across the Star network besides other channel genres including Bollywood entertainment, news, kids and music. In addition, radio in key markets and viewer engagement activities on Social Media will drive reach for this initiative.

     

    With a line-up of movies like Housefull 2, Dabangg 2, Bol Bachchan, Ready and much more Star Gold will be the choice of many families this Diwali. So sit back, relax and earn your Diwali Blockbuster Bonus with Star GOLD this festive season.

     

    Tune in to Star Gold from 14th October to 8th November, every Monday to Friday at 9pm, to be a winner.

  • Tewari launches Bharat Nirman portal, AIR News on SMS Service

    Tewari launches Bharat Nirman portal, AIR News on SMS Service

    NEW DELHI: A total of 69,491 video spots were released to cable and satellite television channels for the first and second phases of the Bharat Nirman Campaign, including 3,660 spots to Doordarshan.

    Radio aired a total of 107,532 spots including 12,600 by All India Radio across 92 stations and 94,932 spots across 216 private FM stations. This was apart from 6,048 spots aired on 36 community radio stations.

    These figures were revealed by Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari at the launch of the online portal for the Bharat Nirman Campaign which provides an interactive digital platform for the creative campaign on various schemes and programmes of the campaign.

    The Minister also launched All India Radio`s free News SMS service. The service provides AIR news headlines free of cost to its subscribers on mobile telephones. There are two or three headlines in each SMS, which also carried a public service information message.

    The event was attended among others by I&B Secretary Bimal Julka, DAVP Director General G Mohanty, Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar, Director General (Media and Communications) Neelam Kapoor, and All India Radio Director General L D Mandloi.

    AIR News Services Division Director General Archana Datta said there will be three updates everyday. She clarified this would not replace the news on phone which people would continue to get.

    People willing to subscribe to the service can SMS “AIRNEWS <space> their name” to 08082080820. They can also give a missed call to 08082080820 to subscribe to the service. So far 200,000 people have subscribed to the service.

    Anurag Srivastava, Joint Secretary in charge of New Media said the digital platform is both in English and Hindi with creatives in 11 regional languages. The portal enables the user to get information about the Bharat Nirman and the Flagship schemes at a single place. There were six tabs on the home page on certain schemes like Aadhar card, Food Security, Real Estate, Street Vendors, Direct Benefit Transfer, and land acquisition.

    It also has live integration with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The portal has apps for mobiles and tablets to provide easy reading. The website is available at www.bharat-nirman.in.

    The first phase of Bharat Nirman was launched in May and the second phase in August. The 360 degree communication approach used all formats of media such a TV, radio, print, outdoor publicity and special outreach programmes.

    A total of 9.7 lakh spots were screened in the two phases over 8,231 empanelled digital screens in theatres.

    A total of 27,870 advertorials were carried across about 1,450 newspapers including 9,000 strip ads.

    Outdoor displays for the Bharat Nirman in the two phases were put up at 7,715 sites.

    The multi media campaign was supported by a strong media outreach programme through eight Public Information Campaigns (PICs) in rural areas conducted by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) with support from the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), the Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP) and the Song and Drama Division. So far, four PICs have been supported by the ‘Jamunia’ Sound and Light Show.

    The Song and Drama Division is also developing a new production taking forward the theme of ‘Priya Power’ which is scheduled to be launched in mid-September at the Red Fort grounds, New Delhi.

    In addition, Prasar Bharati conceptualised different programmes such as serials, interviews of eminent personalities and success stories/achievements of flagship schemes. Doordarshan has been airing a serial named Poorva Suhani Aaye Re every Wednesday and Thursday at 10.00 pm and All India Radio has come up with a serial named “Priya”.

    The Minister said a scientific approach has been undertaken to monitor and evaluate the Bharat Nirman Media Campaign.

    Later asked about the Indian Shining campaign of the previous government, he said the Bharat Nirman campaign was not linked to elections as it had commenced as early as 2007. India Shining on the other hand was a shoddy attempt on the eve of the polls, he said.

    He said that while new media was a highly empowering tool, it had to be ensured that it was developed with certain responsibility.

    He said the Press Council of India had been asked to go into measures that can be taken to ensure the safety of mediapersons.

  • IBF, AAAI, ISA and TAM reach consensus on TV audience measurement

    IBF, AAAI, ISA and TAM reach consensus on TV audience measurement

    MUMBAI: Advertisers, agencies and broadcasters have worked closely and diligently over the last couple of weeks with TAM and are pleased to jointly announce their agreement.

    In layman terms, the media and public will now get to know television viewership in thousands, colloquially referred to as TVT. TVT captures and reflects growth in TV audiences in the country in absolute numbers. TVT will be the sole rating available in the public domain.
    For internal evaluation including planning and buying, %TVR weekly and all other data will be available to advertisers and advertising agencies as in the past. Broadcasters will also have access to this information, should they so desire.

    In addition an option of TVT as a four-week rolling average will be provided every week. The rolling average is statistically more stable data on viewership, especially for smaller audiences in niche channels, regional languages, English language programs and news.

    The three constituents have also agreed that TAM will make all future audience measurement changes based on inputs from the joint-industry BARC Technical Committee.

    Commenting on the changes IBF President Man Jit Singh said, “We are delighted to have reached this agreement. We believe it is important for the industry, and from the perspective of our social responsibility, we must reflect both the growing television audience and the data in a more stable and useful manner. We want to thank AAAI and ISA in collaborating and working out a solution acceptable to all constituents”.

    “As three concerned constituents who believe in working together, we have decided to refer all future currency related changes to the BARC technical committee. I am glad we will now have an effective guide and monitor for ratings in the country”, said Hemant Bakshi, Chairman of Media Committee and Managing Committee of the Indian Society of Advertisers.

    “Getting weekly TVR% is important for media planners and buyers to effectively plan and buy ad-spots and do mid-plan course corrections and post-facto analysis. We are glad that we have been able to agree that the agencies and advertisers will have access to this data as in the past. From tomorrow, we look forward to being able to focus back on our clients’ businesses and effective planning and buying for their brands”, said Arvind Sharma, President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India.

    The Indian Society of Advertisers represents advertisers. The Advertising Agencies Association of India represents advertising agencies and the Indian Broadcasting Foundation represents television broadcasters. The three sector representatives have jointly agreed to take this forward.
    ISA

    The Indian Society of Advertisers, ISA, has been the peak national body for advertisers for 60 years and represents the interests of organisations involved in Indian advertising, marketing and media industry. It aims to protect consumers by ensuring advertising and marketing communications are conducted responsibly.
    AAAI

    The Advertising Agencies Association of India, AAAI, is the official national organisation of advertising agencies. It has a very large number of small, medium and large-sized agencies as its members, who together account for almost 80% of the advertising business in the country. It is recognised as the apex spokesperson for the advertising sector.
    IBF

    The Indian Broadcasting Foundation, IBF, represents television broadcasters. It promotes and safeguards the interests of television broadcasters in an unbiased, non-partisan and relentless manner. It represents more than 85% of the total television broadcast viewership and revenues and in this responsible position, engages in meaningful dialogue toward consensus on contentious issues involving different stakeholders and providing incisive direction.

  • Gaon Connection: Going beyond the village

    Gaon Connection: Going beyond the village

    It‘s seeking to further its connection with its core audience: those from rural India or those interested in it. Rural newspaper,Gaon Connection which hit the stands just as 2012 was ending, is now looking at going transmedia with an audio feed planned for handsets and short TV snippets on the anvil for TV news channels, and also spreading internationally.

    Founded by veteran journo and lyricist Neelesh Misra, along with his buddy Karan Dalal, with the aim of catering to the rural readers of India, Gaon Connection operates across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

    The Lucknow-based publication has a team of 15 full timers and scores of stringers all over India. Gaon Connection’s circulation has gone up from 7,000 copies at inception to 10,000 as of now, according to Misra. The 14 page Rs 5 priced weekly has a claimed readership of around 120,000.

    He says the Rs 5 tag is not too high as rural Indians spend about Rs 30 a month for their feature phone services. Therefore, Rs 20 a month for a newspaper which keeps them informed about developments important to them is quite reasonable.

    Misra has plans to increase readership of Gaon Connection and has drawn up ground activities to enable that to happen. Reading sessions are planned for schools and at panchayat gatherings, where reporters will read out the newspaper to locals.

    Additionally, it is roping in milk companies and SIM card distributors to further the availability of Gaon Connection.

    A small marketing and sales team in Delhi and Lucknow has been pitching the publication to advertisers and pulling in revenue from mainly local ones. Now Misra‘s gameplan is to attract large multinational brands and he is in conversation with agencies such as GroupM and Mindshare for the same.

    Misra got UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav‘s support who dropped in at the newspaper‘s launch in December

    He believes that Gaon Connection will create job opportunities for rural youth. “For instance, we are planning to call in young people in Kanaura village in UP and train them to be journalists and distributors. What this will do is if you have a reporter and distributor in every block, you are able to create a lot of white collar talent which will give a voice to those regions,” says Misra.

    Misra believes it is now time to take the voice of Indian villages across transmedia platforms such as television and the mobile. An in-house team is in the process of scripting snippets to be telecast on news channels. Talks are on with two national channels for the same, he says, without revealing the names.

    “The ideas for the television snippets will grow from the newspaper. The vision is to eventually have a rural TV channel,” he shares. Misra plans to launch the TV snippets by end of the year.

    Gaon Connection has got rural readers asking for more; Misra is targeting a huge jump in readership

    Additonally, on the anvil is what he calls India‘s first audio newspaper. Misra (who is an experienced radio “story teller” courtesy his show on Big FM 92.7) is gearing up to create a dial-in audio feed for mobile users. The service will work on a subscription basis and will be available in the next four to five months. Talks are on with several telecom service providers.

    Going forward, Misra plans to take Gaon Connection overseas catering to the non-resident Indians (NRIs). “We are looking at setting up Gaon Connection chapters worldwide. We have received interest from folks in Singapore, Washington, London,” he elaborates.

    Misra used his personal savings – and even sold his home in New Delhi – to launch Gaon Connection. He now hopes to rope in investors to help take his pet project to the next level. His wife Yamini who joined him sometime back to look after distribution and building the business, believes in his vision. Now all that he has to do is make those with bulging pockets also fall in line.